THUNDER BAY -- The inquest into the deaths of seven First Nation students in Thunder Bay heard some shocking statistics on youth suicides Tuesday.
The head of the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority says at least one hundred of those deaths, can be blamed on one sexual predator.
Jim Morris is also a former NAN Grand Chief and was the first witness at the inquest Tuesday morning.
Morris points to convicted serial offender Ralph Rowe, who was an Anglican priest and Boy Scout leader who sexually abused young boys from numerous First Nations communities in the 1970's.
Morris says the first suicides in the 1990's involved young men, aged 15-to-21. He adds that it kick-started the youth suicide crisis that continues today.
Morris says the mental health of young people should be assessed, before they arrive in Thunder Bay to attend high school.
The inquest is expected to continue tomorrow.
(TBT News)
